The latest processing times for temporary residence applications have been released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), with no reported increases to wait times.
For wait time improvements, the most notable among the changes (in order), included
- Super visas: Five-week improvement for submissions from the Philippines, three-week improvement for US-based submissions;
- Study permits: Four-week decline for Pakistan-based applications;
- Visitor visas: Three-week drop for submissions from India; and
- Work permits: One-week decrease for applications made from Pakistan and the US.
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All countries covered saw improvements to super visa processing times, and nearly all to visitor visa wait times—except the Philippines.
This article will cover the latest processing times for work permits, study permits, visitor visas, and super visas (as of March 24)—comparing wait times to March 11 (the date of the department’s previous update).
Permanent residence and citizenship processing times are updated monthly (with the most recent update having occurred on March 9), and as such, the next update will likely take place on April 9.
Work permits
Work permit processing times either decreased or remained the same since March 11, with the most notable improvements seen for Pakistan- and US-based submissions (one week decrease).
| Applying from: | Current processing time | Processing time as of March 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Canada | 255 days | 259 days |
| India | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
| Pakistan | 29 weeks | 30 weeks |
| Nigeria | 13 weeks | 13 weeks |
| United States | 8 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Philippines | 7 weeks | 7 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
- International Experience Canada permit submissions: 56 days
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Study permits
The most significant change in wait time for study permit processing was the four-week decline for applications submitted from Pakistan, followed by a one-week drop for in-Canada submissions.
| Applying from: | Current processing time | Processing time as of March 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Canada | 8 weeks | 9 weeks |
| India | 4 weeks | 4 weeks |
| Pakistan | 11 weeks | 15 weeks |
| Nigeria | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| United States | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
| Philippines | 5 weeks | 5 weeks |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions (initial and extensions): 120 days
- Outside Canada submissions: 60 days
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Visitor visas
Nearly all countries featured (except the Philippines) saw improvements in wait times for visitor visas—with wait times for India-based submissions improving by nearly three weeks, and In-Canada applications by about one week.
| Applying from: | Current processing time | Processing time as of March 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Canada | 12 days | 18 days |
| India | 37 days | 57 days |
| Pakistan | 48 days | 49 days |
| Nigeria | 52 days | 53 days |
| United States | 15 days | 17 days |
| Philippines | 14 days | 14 days |
Service standard:
- In-Canada submissions: N/A
- Outside Canada submissions: 14 days
Super visas
Super visa wait times saw improvements across the board—some moderate, others dramatic. Most notable was the five-week decline in submissions from the Philippines, followed by US-based submissions (down by just over three weeks).
| Applying from: | Current processing time | Processing time as of March 11 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 202 days | 208 days |
| Pakistan | 122 days | 132 days |
| Nigeria | 43 days | 44 days |
| United States | 185 days | 207 days |
| Philippines | 50 days | 85 days |
Service standard: 112 days
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Processing times and service standards
IRCC’s processing times are representative of the approximate length of time it will take the department to make a decision (positive or negative) on any given application type once submitted by the applicant.
Processing begins at time of receipt and concludes when an application has been finalized (a decision is made). How processing is treated differs for applications submitted online versus those that are mailed in.
For online submissions, processing begins at the time of submission (based on timestamp); for paper applications, it’s at the time the application arrived in IRCC’s mailroom.
There are two types of processing times, per IRCC, including 1) historical and 2) forward-facing.
Historical processing times are based on the approximate time it took IRCC to process most (80%) of applications (category-dependent) in the past, while forward-facing applications are calculated based on future estimates—with the department’s current inventory and anticipated application finalizations considered.
In contrast, service standards are benchmarks established by IRCC that specify the time within which the department is expected to render a decision on 80% of applications for a particular category (e.g., work permits, study permits, or visitor visas).
These benchmarks are set with the goal of processing 80% of applications—not 100%—as the department recognizes that certain submissions are more complex and therefore may require additional processing time due to enhanced scrutiny.
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